"Thank you, Mr. Beck for doing the right thing. I really appreciate that," Keefe said, as she looked over her shoulder at Beck who was seated with his attorney and family in a Town Hall conference room.

Lincoln echoed that sentiment.

Beck, a town emergency services dispatcher and newly elected school board member, had been under fire for posting that his 26 acts of kindness in memory of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims would be to distribute ammunition to his pro-gun friends. He made the post from his smartphone while at work.

On Tuesday, Beck, 26, informed Board of Education Chairman Scott McCarthy that he was resigning his board seat immediately. He submitted his official letter of resignation from the school board to the Town Clerk's Office at 8 a.m. Thursday, just hours before a hearing was to begin on whether he violated the ethics code with his conduct.

"There should be no doubt that Mr. Beck was utilizing his First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution ... when he made his poorly timed, insensitive remark referencing the 26 Days of Kindness," Beck's lawyer, Brian Parrott, said in a letter to the Ethics Board. "There can be no doubt that this comments does not materially interfere with Mr. Beck's bona fide job performance or the working relationship with his employer."

Beck has publicly apologized, and through Parrott, expressed regret for the post.

"Mr. Beck, all along, has admitted to the stupidity of the statement," Parrott said.

Board of Ethics Chairman Alice Carolan said Thursday morning that because Beck resigned his seat, the ethics complaint was moot. The complaint before the board arose because Beck, a town emergency services dispatcher, was on duty when he posted his comment, she said.

The board, which could have recommended anything from a reprimand to termination, decided to take no action against Beck.

Police Chief Robin Montgomery has stated that no disciplinary was action planned, and Parrott said the chief told Beck the incident would have no effect on their working relationship.

"There is no legal basis to remove him from his job or from office," Parrott said after the hearing.